Human Trafficking

Like slaves on an auction block waiting to be selected, victims of human trafficking have to perform as they are told or risk being beaten. Sex buyers often claim they had no idea that most women and girls abused in prostitution are desperate to escape, or are there as a result of force, fraud, or coercion. Photo By: Kay Chernush for the U.S. State Department

This brothel keeper and her slaves are in a red-light district in Mumbai, India. The women and girls used in prostitution may be exploited 10 to 40 times a night, sometimes keeping as little as 20 rupees (less than 50 cents) per encounter. The Madam takes the biggest cut for herself, then pays the landlord, the pimps, and her "protectors." Government corruption is one of the driving factors behind the burgeoning trade in human beings.
Photo By: Kay Chernush for the U.S. State Department